KYOCHPESBAI AND HIS SON SHUKURBEK
Once upon a time, in ancient times, there lived two rich men. One was named Kyocherbai the Wanderer, and the other Kyochpesbai the Settler. Kyocherbai would migrate with his herds to the summer pastures of the jailoo every spring and return for wintering in late autumn.
Kyochpesbai, on the other hand, never migrated anywhere and always lived in one place. But one year, Kyochpesbai's livestock completely ate all the grass around his camp, and he was forced to decide to migrate. Kyochpesbai began to prepare for the long journey. His wife, unaccustomed to moving, could not properly load the horses and camels. She would put one load on their backs and then realize she had forgotten another. She would roll up one felt mat, only to find the dishes were left behind. She would gather the buckets, only to see the spoons scattered. She started packing at sunrise and only managed to finish by evening. So, Kyochpesbai had to set off late at night when the moon had already shone in the sky.
As he rode, his son Shukurbek said to him:
— Father, I forgot my small bag at the old camp.
— Go, son, — his father replied, — and bring back your bag.
Shukurbek mounted his gray horse and rode back to the abandoned camp. Just before reaching the place, the horse stopped and said to the boy:
— Listen to me, Shukurbek. You have not yet experienced what I have experienced, nor seen what I have seen. So know this: the abandoned camp has been taken over by the witch Zhelmoguz. When we get there, I will lower myself to the ground, higher than a dog, and you must be quick and grab your bag, and we will flee. And know that this bag will save you in your most difficult moment.
Shukurbek approached the camp and saw a terrible old woman sitting on the ground, her eyes fixed on the bag.
— Please, give me my bag, — the boy asked.
In response, the old woman grumbled:
— You found something to ask for! I can barely live: if I sit, I can't stand up; if I stand, I can't sit down. But you are young, get off your horse and take your bag yourself.
Shukurbek figured out the old woman's trick and said:
— Auntie, look at that owl sitting on the rock!
The old woman turned her head, and in the meantime, the boy bent down from his horse, grabbed the bag, and galloped away, with the witch chasing after him.
On the way, Shukurbek met a lonely old man. Learning that the boy was escaping from the chase, the old man said:
— Become my son, and I will save you.
The boy was very afraid of the witch and therefore agreed without hesitation to become the old man's son.
Shukurbek arrived at the old man's yurt and saw a black dog playing with three puppies. The puppies pleased the boy, and he hugged them and fell asleep. And he had a dream that the witch Zhelmoguz was chasing him and shouting, "I will eat you!" In fear, Shukurbek woke up, grabbed the puppies, and ran away, even forgetting about his horse. The boy ran for several days. He was exhausted, lay down, and fell asleep. And he slept for a long time. The puppies woke him up — they sensed the witch Zhelmoguz from afar.
Shukurbek woke up and saw that while he was sleeping, he had become a grown man. The puppies had also grown and become quite large. Shukurbek gave each of them a name: the oldest he called Chutky, the middle one Zryachy, and the youngest Slushayushchiy Zemlyu (Listening to the Earth).
As soon as the witch approached, Shukurbek unleashed all three dogs on her. The old woman then began to plead with the young man:
— Call off the dogs. Let's make peace. Stay in my house, go hunting. You will shoot birds and beasts and then go back to your father, to the new camp.
Trusting Shukurbek felt sorry for the old woman and called off the dogs. And he began to live with the witch. Every day, Shukurbek went hunting with his three dogs. And each time he brought back a rich haul from the hunt.
One day the old woman said to him:
— You go hunting, and your dogs do everything for you, while you cannot catch anything yourself. If you are a real hunter, then go hunting alone and leave the dogs at home.
— I will prove that I can shoot a beast even without the dogs, — the young man replied proudly.
And he went hunting alone in the mountains. He shot many birds and beasts, but he ran out of ammunition. Shukurbek decided to return, but suddenly noticed that the old woman was chasing him.
Then Shukurbek remembered his horse's words about the magical bag. He threw the bag on the ground and said:
— Become a tall poplar!
The bag immediately turned into a poplar — tall and towering. The young man climbed the tree and sat on a branch.
The old woman ran up to the poplar and saw that it was tall. Then she pulled out her tooth, turned it into an axe, pulled out another, turned it into a saw, and began to saw and chop the poplar.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a red fox appeared and said to the witch:
— Oh, dear lady, I see you are tired! Lie down, rest, and I will work for you.
The old woman was delighted, handed the fox the saw and axe, and lay down to sleep.
The fox quietly dropped the saw and axe into the river and ran away.
The witch woke up — there was no saw, no axe, and no fox. The old woman got angry, pulled out her tooth, turned it into an axe, pulled out another, turned it into a saw, and began to saw and chop the poplar again.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a white fox appeared and said to the witch:
— Oh, dear lady, you are an elderly person, such heavy work is not for you! Sit down, rest, and I will work for you.
— No, — replied the old woman. — A red fox came here before you, and she deceived me: she dropped the saw and axe into the water.
If you deceive me too, I won't have enough teeth for a new saw and another axe. Go away, I don't need your help. I can manage on my own!
The white fox was offended.
— It seems, dear lady, that you have lost your mind with age, — she said. — Have you forgotten that the red fox is always cunning? Who do you think is better: the white fox or the red one?
— Of course, the white one is better, — the old woman agreed and, believing the white fox, handed her the saw and axe, and fell asleep again.
Meanwhile, the white fox dropped the axe and saw into the river and ran away. Just then, a crow flew over the poplar. Shukurbek began to ask her, so that the old woman would not hear:
— Oh, dear crow, fly to the witch's house. Tell my dogs what trouble I am in.
The crow immediately flew to the dogs, told them about the trouble that had befallen their master. But the old woman had tied the dogs tightly to a tree. Hearing about Shukurbek's fate, the dogs tore the tree out by the roots and rushed to their master's rescue.
The dogs ran to the poplar, attacked the old woman, grabbed her, and dragged her to the river. And the young man climbed down from the tree, turned it back into a bag, and waited for the dogs. Soon the dogs drowned the witch and came out to the shore.
Together with them, Shukurbek returned to the old man — his adoptive father. Shukurbek bid farewell to him, saddled his horse, took the dogs, and set off to find his biological father — Kyochpesbai.
He rode and rode across the steppe and suddenly saw a distant aiyl. Soon Shukurbek met a shepherd with a flock of sheep.
— What is this aiyl? — the young man asked the shepherd.
— Better not to ask, — replied the shepherd. — You see before you the aiyl of Kyochpesbai. He has never migrated in his life, but several years ago his livestock ate all the grass in the pasture and began to starve. Kyochpesbai had to migrate from those places. He had only one son. On the way, the boy remembered that he had forgotten the bag at the old camp and returned for it. Since then, Shukurbek has disappeared, and Kyochpesbai thinks he has perished. And today Kyochpesbai is holding a memorial for his son.
Shukurbek laughed:
— Run to Kyochpesbai, get a reward from him, and tell him that his lost son Shukurbek has returned.
The shepherd joyfully tossed his cap to the sky, threw his staff even higher, and ran to the aiyl.
— Reward, Kyochpesbai! Reward! — he shouted, rushing into the yurt. Kyochpesbai got angry.
— I am holding a memorial for my son, and you come rushing in with joyful shouts, — he said gloomily. — What is there for me to be happy about?
— Reward, reward! — the shepherd shouted even louder. — Gather the people, turn the memorial into a joyful feast! Your son Shukurbek has returned!
Kyochpesbai rejoiced, rushed to meet his son. And instead of a sad memorial, a noisy feast erupted in the yurt, and the shepherd was generously rewarded for the joyful news.
Kyrgyz Tales